Turn of Fate
by ShazzyZhang
Summary: Set after the S2 finale. The farm is gone, the group is splitting and the RICKTATORSHIP is in full swing. Things aren't going well but an unexpected ally arrives and stirs things up and makes things... more interesting. Rated T for cussin' and mayhem.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: So I wanted to write something different. What if Merle comes back? (SEASON 3!) But, what if he isn't as evil as we thought? I'm just playing with ideas here, and hoping that some of it comes true. Maybe..._

_Anyway, this is set after the season 2 finale. No Shane, no Dale. (sadness!) No farm. (more sadness!) No Andrea because she's with Michonne now. But, I'm gonna leave the prison out of it because I'm not familiar with that part of the story. So enjoy._

_As usual, I do not own the Walking Dead or any of the characters._

_-Shazzy_

**Turn of Fate**

They'd been walking for days.

They had to ditch the vehicles. Daryl's motorcycle would have been the only one that they could have brought, but even then, without gas, there was little point.

So they'd packed all their gear into backpacks and rucksacks. Daryl had made sure to bring Merle's stash and the extra ammo for his brother's gun. He hadn't complained when he'd seen Carl carrying it, in fact, he was just happy that the kid had made himself useful.

Daryl kept Carol close. They'd been nigh on inseparable in the aftermath of the loss of the farm. She was feeling sorry for herself, and while it was all Daryl could do to not yell at her and leave her, he somehow felt too guilty to do that. She was hurting as madly as everyone else, worse, if Daryl was any judge of character. She'd lost everything on that damn farm, and now, it seemed, even the safety the farm had offered had turned on her too. Daryl would be damned if he was gonna leave her like that.

But it was getting hard.

Lori was insufferable. She was getting sicker as they went – the morning sickness had kicked in – and it slowed their progress. Maggie and Carol did what they could for her, but there was nothing. Rick was looking haggard and worn, he had stopped listening to anyone. He'd made it very clear that he was no longer concerned about what the group thought.

Daryl couldn't argue. In fact, he admired the man for his tenacity and for finally growing a pair of balls, even if no one else was terribly impressed by it.

The group trudged along silently. They were lost and hopeless and food and water were in short supply. Even raiding the cars along the highway whenever they could wasn't enough. Daryl couldn't hunt and they were all starting to feel the effects of not having enough.

It was hitting Carl the worst and Daryl felt a pang of guilt about it.

When they stopped to rest – and to let Lori puke for the millionth time – Daryl pulled Rick aside.

"Carl ain't doin' so well as the rest of us." He said urgently.

"I know." Rick agreed with a sigh. "He's just a kid, Daryl. He shouldn't have to go through this crap!"

Daryl nodded. "Can't we camp here for a day or two? Set up a new perimeter?" He asked. "Lemme go hunt somethin' other than squirrel and rabbit and pigeon."

Rick sighed and cast a glance at his son, sitting next to Carol and nearly falling asleep where he sat in the grass.

"I don't think that's a wise idea." Rick said.

"An' I think this whole dictatorship you've got going on is bullshit!" Daryl hissed. "You can't just let everyone go on like this, Rick. We're tired, hungry, scared... Mourning." He ran the knuckle of his thumb against his forehead. "Face it, we're lost and suffering. Camping out for a few days ain't gonna hurt."

Rick sighed but had to agree. "All right." He said slowly. "A coupla days – just long enough to get a few supplies stocked up."

"Thank you." Daryl said. "Believe me, the women will thank you too." He clapped Rick on the shoulder and sauntered back to talk to Carol.

Things were finally starting to look up for the little group in the chaos of their loss.

But Rick was doubtful, something nagged at him and tugged, begging him to listen but he wasn't sure what it was.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Okay, I was a bit of a tease, I'm sorry. I really just needed to get something out on paper before I forgot the idea. The one thing I'm not keeping canon in this story is the 'everyone is infected' plot. I disliked it. Anyway, I'll keep going now. _

_Cheers._

_-Shazzy_

**-An unexpected guest-**

The relief of the group spread easily. Even Rick couldn't deny that they were better now that they'd stopped for a while. The memory of the farm was bitter and sad and no one had had proper time to mourn their loss.

Daryl set out immediately to hunt, leaving the rest of the group to scavenge from the highway and set up a perimeter.

No one was going to begrudge Daryl a hunting trip, anything he brought back would be a welcome meal.

They'd lost everything when they'd fled the farm. No one had grabbed any supplies, everything had been packed away into the house. They had managed to scavenge a few tents, but it meant getting cozy with one another.

Everyone's biggest concern, however, was the fact that winter was coming and they had no shelter.

No one dared speak aloud to Rick anymore. He had made it abundantly clear that he wasn't interested in what anyone had to say. Even Lori had been shunning him more and more. It was obvious that she didn't particularly forgive him for murdering Shane. Even though it was self-defence.

The group lazed about as the sun rose higher. Sleeping during the day seemed a better bet and no one was going to argue against Lori and Carl catching a few moments of rest when they could.

The perimeter was set, T-Dogg and Herschel took first patrol, Maggie and Beth gathered firewood as Rick and Glenn scavenged the nearby highway. Carol stayed in camp to await Daryl's return – she'd become the cook since Lori's morning sickness started. And, Carol was the only other one who was content to clean game whenever Daryl brought it.

The small campsite was very quiet as everyone went about their tasks. Carol sat alone, knees drawn up and lost in thought.

She hadn't even heard him arrive.

"Y' lost, darlin'?"

Carol nearly jumped out of her skin. It was as though she'd seen a ghost.

"Holy mother of God!" She breathed as she took him in.

He was no stranger to the group, she'd seen him back at the very beginning. But he was different now. Thinner than he had been, and he'd always been thin. He was unshaven and his greying whiskers made his face look narrower than she'd remembered. His hair had begun to grow in, but not much. His face was tanned and gaunt, like he'd been sleeping under the sky and to hell with being indoors.

It was Merle, there was no doubt about it.

Carol's eyes darted to the stump where he'd cut off his own hand. Covered now, with a rough cap made of leather – what looked like it had once been a part of a baseball glove or something similar – and held on with a buckled strap.

Merle tilted his head in recognition as he crouched down in front of her. "Good Lord. You're that... that.. woman. From the quarry ain't ye?" He smiled.

Carol flinched. She remembered him, that was for damn sure. The violence, the anger. She tried not to shudder. But there was something about his smile.

"Didn't you have a little girl?" Merle drawled quietly. He was far softer-spoken than Carol remembered.

"Did." Carol mumbled.

A moment passed before sadness washed over Merle's rough features. "Aw, shit. I'm sorry." He said honestly. "I don't remember yer name." He added with a frown.

"It's Carol." She replied even more quietly.

Merle nodded. "Carol." He repeated so he didn't forget. "Y' all alone out here?"

Carol shook her head, afraid to say anything else.

"Y' hungry?"

"Sorry, what?" Carol asked, confused. This wasn't the man she remembered from the quarry. He was being... Nice.

"Are you hungry?" Merle replied slowly. "You weren't here a few days ago, I assume that wherever you came from musta been bad, so I am simply offering you something to eat."

Carol didn't know what to say to that. She opened and closed her mouth helplessly.

Merle smiled again and slipped the bag off of his shoulder. He held it out to Carol. "Help yerself t' anything you'd like." He said. "I have more."

Carol took the canvas bag gingerly and looked inside. He had somehow managed to get a hold of packaged, dried foods. Maybe he'd scavenged a convenience store, she didn't know and she wasn't about to ask. She helped herself to a few almonds – a guilty pleasure she'd not indulged in since the beginning of the outbreak – and handed the bag bag.

"Thank you." Carol said, a little bolder.

Merle shrugged. "Y' all alone?" He asked as he fidgeted with the bag, slinging it awkwardly over his shoulder with his one hand.

There was a click and the feel of cold iron against the back of his head and Merle nodded sullenly.

"No, she ain't." Rick said as he pressed his gun into the back of Merle's head.

Merle raised his hands and shifted himself onto his knees. "Howdy, sheriff." He said hoarsely.

"Rick..." Carol pleaded.

"What?" Rick asked.

"He ain't gon' shoot me." Merle assured Carol. "He's a good guy." He smiled again, sarcastically as his eyes narrowed. "At least, he ain't gon' shoot me in front of you."

"He has food." Carol offered, holding out her handful of almonds.

"You just let him in here?" Rick asked. "And you accepted food from him?"

Carol sighed. Rick was inconsolable. "He's not gonna hurt anyone, Rick." She argued. "And what do you think Daryl would do if he found out you shot his brother in cold blood?"

Rick frowned and said nothing.

"Daryl's still with ya'?" Merle asked, a spark of happiness in his voice. "Well I'll be damned."

Carol nodded. "He'll be back in a bit, I assume."

"Gone huntin'?" Merle asked.

Carol nodded again. "I'd be happy to sit with you while we wait." She turned her eyes up to Rick and smiled innocently.

Rick growled and put his gun away. "Fine." He said. He gave Merle a small shove. "But no funny business, Dixon, or else I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head and to hell with what your brother thinks."

"Scouts honour, I'll be good." Merle replied.

Rick stormed off, keeping one eye on the wayward Dixon.

Carol smiled, beaming with pride, knowing full well that Rick wouldn't have hesitated to pull the trigger. She'd technically just saved Merle's life.

Merle settled himself next to Carol. "Well my dear, I must say, I certainly owe you one."


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Oh no, Merle's back. And Rick's unhappy. DRAMA! ANGST! Nonevil!Merle being... well, non evil! This is it for me for a while. I'll be back after the 21 st of May. Enjoy. _

_Cheers._

_-Shazzy_

**-Reunion-**

Rick met Daryl on the edge of their camp. He'd bagged some wood thrush and a few rabbits and had a handkerchief filled with edible mushrooms. He'd done well for himself and he showed Rick what he'd brought as the deputy sauntered over.

Carol watched from her spot. She hadn't moved all afternoon and Merle sat quietly beside her. The small talk had long since worn off and the rest of the group skirted the area, avoiding Merle like he had the plague.

Merle understood, he didn't even argue or try to engage any of the others as they stalked by. He had been a real terror before. He'd smiled towards T-Dogg and the other man had all but turned white. Only Carol hadn't moved, hadn't abandoned him.

"Are they really afraid of me?" Merle asked finally.

"I don't think afraid is the right word." Carol said, keeping her eyes firmly on Rick and Daryl in the distance. "But I can see how they might be a little bit apprehensive about your return."

"I don't wanna hurt nobody." Merle said. "What's done is done." He shrugged. "I can forgive and forget as well as anybody can in these trying times." He continued. "All I wanted was t' help you when I saw you."

Carol smiled. "That's mighty kind of you." She said sincerely. "And I appreciate the sentiment."

"Are you all planning to stay out here?" Merle asked. "You don't seem ah... properly equipped for a group of your size to be sleepin' on the side of the highway."

Carol sighed. "For now, we are." She admitted. "Our last camp was..." She frowned, trying to think of the right word.

"Compromised?" Merle suggested.

"That is a very eloquent way of putting it." She agreed.

"Sorry to hear it." Merle said.

"What about you?" Carol asked. "Are you all alone?"

Merle laughed quietly. "Am now." He admitted. "I had a group fer a while, but I left 'em in the dust. They weren't as useful as I'd hoped." He smiled brightly. "Funny how fate has a way of bringin' us all back together, innit?"

"I suppose so." Carol said. She could see that Daryl was getting agitated.

"Why won't you let me into camp?" Daryl demanded, ready to throw the string of rabbits and birds at Rick the way he'd done with the squirrels so long ago. "You're stalling me. For what?" His face paled. "Is it Carol? Did something happen?"

"Calm down, Daryl." Rick said. "Christ, man. It's all right. She's fine."

"Then let me back inta camp!" Daryl said. "I have to finish cleaning this game before we can eat, and before it spoils."

"We have a guest." Rick said hurriedly.

Daryl blinked. "Aw Christ." He muttered. "Are we going to have a fight?"

"Not as long as you're both on your 'good behaviour'" Rick said.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just remember who's had your back this whole time." Rick warned as he stepped aside.

Daryl shot Rick a look of confusion and strolled into the camp. Carol stood slowly from her spot as she saw Daryl approaching.

Daryl peered around the camp. Everyone was avoiding him, and it seemed, Carol.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Daryl asked angrily, confused by their actions.

"Heya, little brother."

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks. His hands faltered and the string of game slipped from between his fingers and landed on the ground with a thud. He stared at Carol, who was standing there, hands clasped before her, a small smile playing on her lips.

"M-Merle?" Daryl stammered in disbelief.

Merle grinned and stepped forward, around Carol. "Th' one and only."

"Jesus _Christ_!" Daryl breathed.

A moment passed where neither Dixon brother moved.

"I gotta be hallucinatin'." Daryl said with a smirk.

The brothers met, arms wrapping around shoulders affectionately as the men hugged, reunited after all hope was lost.

"Oh my God, Little Brother." Merle said with a grin as he stood back from Daryl, holding him at arm's length. "Lookit you."

Daryl snorted. "I knew you weren't dead." He said sincerely. "I looked fer you... I didn't wanna give up..."

"Water unner the bridge." Merle replied with a nod.

"How the hell did you end up here?" Daryl asked.

Merle shrugged. "Fate, I think."

Daryl nodded. He shot a glance to Carol, who smiled in return.

"She's a good 'un." Merle said quietly, confidently, to his brother. "Y' keep 'er, y' hear me?"

Daryl would have blushed, if that was a word the Dixons were aware of.

"Uh-huh." He replied instead.

"Y' got game." Merle noted. "Lemme help y' clean it, and Carol can start cookin' and we can catch up."

Daryl nodded dumbly. He had his brother back. Maybe, fortune was smiling on them through all their losses.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: I'm back, with a vengeance. That was a sucky coupla weeks. Did you all miss me? I missed you! Have some more nonevil!Merle. _

_Love_

_-Shazzy_

**-Proposition-**

They ate well that night. Merle had proven useful and he was more than willing to share his pilfered snack foods. The addition of the dried fruits and nuts he'd hoarded was a welcome addition to the evening meal, and it even made the dry, overcooked thrush palatable.

No one was complaining, though. It would have been unfair.

Daryl sat with Merle and the brothers talked quickly together. Carol sat close to Daryl, listening to the brothers, she was the only one who wasn't afraid of the newly returned Dixon. Everyone else sat quietly, watching like dogs afraid someone was going to steal their bones.

Merle smiled easily and complimented Carol profusely. He spoke so highly of her all of a sudden. Daryl couldn't believe that this was the same racist, angry, redneck who he had called his brother a few short weeks ago.

"So y'all are sleepin' out here?" Merle asked finally, casting his blue eyes over the group. "Seems an awfully exposed kind of place, don't you think?"

"I think it'll do for one night." Rick interrupted sourly.

"I ain't tryin' to step on toes here, Deputy." Merle drawled politely in Rick's direction. "I was merely pointing out that this might not be the safest spot fer us all to sleep." He scratched the back of his neck absently.

"Do you have a better idea?" Rick demanded sarcastically. He was testing Merle. He certainly didn't trust him, one hand or not. He was uneasy having the other Dixon back in camp. He was afraid that this was a front, that there would be bloodshed and vengeance in the night. T-Dogg would be first, then, had she still been with them, Andrea. Rick was certain that Merle would save him for last, draw it out. It seemed the appropriate thing to do and Rick's "cop sense" was certainly doing more than merely tingling. If he was going to be honest, he hadn't had this bad of a feeling since Shane had gone homicidal.

Merle shrugged. "I mean, it'll be all right for a night..."

"Jesus, Rick, chill out." Daryl interrupted.

Rick stiffened in his seat. "You wanna run that by me again?"

Daryl stood up. "You want this conversation to be private, maybe?" Daryl suggested.

Rick scowled and stood, following Daryl's lead and heading just out of earshot of the group.

Merle smiled awkwardly at the group, suddenly entirely out of place in Daryl's momentary absence.

"What the hell, Rick?" Daryl spat.

"Don't you start this bullshit with me." Rick shot back. "I'm very happy that your brother is back, but really, Daryl, he nearly killed T-Dogg, would've done me in too -"

"You left him." Daryl pointed out. "I'd say he has every right to be pissed off. But he ain't." Daryl wrinkled his nose. "You can't accept that he just ain't as pissed off as you had thought he would be? I toldja, from the very beginning, two things. One, Merle ain't as bad as all that and two, no one can kill Merle, but Merle."

"It ain't Merle gettin' killed I'm worried about." Rick said quietly.

Daryl stopped and stared.

"Are you gonna make me pick sides, Rick?" Daryl asked quietly.

"Is it gonna become necessary?" Rick asked back.

Daryl scowled. "That's how it's gonna be?"

"I dunno about you, Daryl, but I ain't about to risk the entire group's safety on the word of someone I ain't seen since day one."

"You're so full of shit, Rick." Daryl growled. "You were the one who left him in the city!" He spat, a defiant gesture. "Give him a chance. If it comes down to it, I'll kill him myself."

Rick blinked in surprise. "Come again?"

"You heard me." Daryl sulked. "I care about the group too. I have Carol to think about, and your son. And your pregnant wife. Don't you think I would do _anything_ for this little group?" He sneered. "Maybe Dale really was wrong."

"Don't start." Rick said, exhausted. "Just don't start."

"Then give Merle a chance, dammit." Daryl pleaded.

Rick sighed and nodded.

With a small, triumphant smirk, Daryl stomped back to the campfire and sat down next to his brother. Rick soon returned as well.

"Everything all right?" Carol asked before Merle had a chance.

Rick nodded.

"Hey, so, I was thinkin'..." Merle said slowly, addressing the whole group. "Tomorrow I'll take you back to my place? I have a proper house, food, water and no one knows I'm there."


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Another farm? Merle managed to hold a base by himself? Is Merle actually a changed man? I have no idea. We'll find out, won't we._

_-Shazzy_

**-Headquarters-**

The camp was packed up quickly, no one wanted to spend another night exposed on the open road. If Merle had found them as easily as it seemed, there was no arguing that anyone could just wander up to camp. Merle didn't argue and in fact seemed relieved that they had all wanted to get on the road as quickly as they could. He'd gotten rather used to sleeping in a bed and he didn't much care for the thought of sleeping outside, even if it was just for one night.

Daryl and Merle made a point to scatter the ashes of the fire and to hide their tracks as best as they could. It was harder to hide a group of 12 than a pair of brothers, but they did what they could. At least it would look like they had been gone for a few weeks if anyone were to stumble upon the campsite in the next few hours.

Merle led the way confidently with Carol keeping pace next to him. Whether he was moving slower than Daryl remembered as a courtesy to the women and Carl, or if he really was suffering Daryl couldn't tell and he didn't want to hazard a guess. He walked quietly, hanging back with Rick to keep an eye out for any stray walkers, or for anything that might make a good meal. It was dusk, it was prime hunting time and a deer would make a nice housewarming gift. It also gave him the ability to watch Merle and Carol, and make sure his brother wasn't about to pull something.

"Do you trust him?" Rick asked quietly.

"More'n I trust you." Daryl replied simply to get a rise out of Rick. It wasn't entirely true, but it needed to be said.

"Do you think he has any intention of harming the group?" Rick pressed.

Daryl looked at his friend. "You mean specifically you an' T-Dogg?" He asked. "Wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to shoot you both in the back when you ain't payin' attention." He admitted. "But I don't think he's going to." He continued quickly before Rick could say anything. "He's takin' us to shelter, he shared food with Carol for Christ's sake. You don't feed someone if you intend t' kill 'em."

"Issat your rules?" Rick asked.

Daryl's face hardened. "You want a place to stay until we can regroup or not?" He snapped. "Besides, Lori's sick as all Hell and Carl isn't lookin' so good either. Merle's offerin' us a place to sleep that's safe, warm, he says he has food..." Daryl shrugged. "He's my brother, Rick. If he screws us, I'll deal with it."

"How?" Rick asked bitterly. "How are you gonna deal with it?"

Daryl stared intently at Rick. "If he screws us, or harms anyone in any way, Rick, I swear to you on my honour as a Dixon that I _will_ kill him without hesitation."

Rick stared silently at Daryl for a long moment. "Now, that? I believe."

Daryl snorted his response and shook his head. He knew that Merle wasn't going to try and screw the group, there was no point. Merle was, after all, one-handed, crippled, and a group of people all loyal to one another and willing to work together with him would be far more beneficial to him than if he took his revenge on the few people who'd left him for dead.

Daryl just hoped that he was right, Merle was, after all, pretty unpredictable.

The trip to Merle's place was a lot shorter than they'd expected. He'd acquired a farm just off the highway and far enough out of the way that you wouldn't know that it was there unless you'd been looking for it. Even in the waning light, it was obvious that there was a fully functional, overly large garden and a small orchard. The property was surrounded by non-fruiting trees and was well hidden. The house looked bigger than Herschel's had been, and with the group reduced in size, there was little doubt that they could all fit inside.

Daryl could see Carol place her hands against her mouth in surprise. Even Lori looked relieved and Carl looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Daryl and Rick exchanged glances, one worried that it was too good to be true, the other smug.

"Me casa est su casa." Merle drawled. "Welcome home."


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: How's about a big hug for your ol' pal, Shazzy? Sorry I've been gone for so long, real-life projects got in my way. Anyway, I thought I'd give y'all a treat. Enjoy._

_Love,_

_Shazzy_

**-Homestead-**

A flash of movement in one of the upper windows caught Rick's eye, and his gun was in hand before anyone else even noticed anything was wrong.

"Thought you said you were alone, Merle?" Rick drawled.

"Said I didn't have a _group._" Merle corrected. "That's just Jules."

Rick's finger rested uneasily on the trigger of his gun. "Who's Jules?"

Merle cast a smug glance over his shoulder at the paranoid sheriff. "You'll find out in half a second."

The front door of the house opened and the biggest, shaggiest dog Daryl had ever seen came bounding down the steps. It stopped and tilted it's head quizzically, staring at the group and wagging it's tail. The dog was the strangest colouring Daryl had ever seen, silvery on it's chest with tan and black on it's back. The dog was solidly built with a pointed but wide muzzle, floppy ears and mismatched eyes.

"Thought you didn't like dogs?" Daryl mused to his brother.

Merle laughed. "That's Pongo." He said lightly, holding out his good hand to the dog. "He's Jules' dog. He's half wolf, half German Shepherd, we think."

Pongo trotted up to Merle's outstretched and hand and licked the familiar fingers. He turned his two-toned eyes towards the rest of the group and wagged his tail, panting.

"He don't bark, an' he don't bite, unless you tell him to." Merle mused with a shrug as Carl stepped forward hesitantly to pet Pongo. "He's a friendly little bastard so long as you don't mess with Jules."

Carl smiled as Pongo licked his face and even Rick had to admit that the sight of the well-fed dog, and the smile on his son's face was a welcome thing.

"I thought we agreed that we wouldn't bring home strays?"

The group's collective gaze fell upon the speaker. Jules was a woman. Young, maybe late twenties, early thirties at most. Her dark hair was cut short, but messy, like she'd just taken a pocket knife to her long ponytail and called it good. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a man's work shirt and hiking boots. Her accent wasn't Georgian, she didn't drawl.

"She's cute." Daryl mumbled, nudging Merle with his elbow.

"Thank you." Jules replied with a smirk. She held out her hand to Daryl. "Jules. Charmed. An' I see you've met Pongo." She added, getting a wide eyed look of joy from the dog.

Daryl took her hand. "Daryl." He drawled.

Jules' eyebrow arched. "The little brother?"

"One an' only." Daryl agreed.

"Well, shit." Jules said with a sigh. "I guess miracles really do happen."

Rick stepped forward to reassert his leadership role. Jules smiled up at him. "Hello." She said innocently. "I take it you're the sheriff?" She asked. "Merle told me all about you guys, or at least, about what happened before." She ran a hand through her hair. "Y'all look half starved and exhausted, why don't you all come inside, we'll eat an' we can all play catch up?"

The house was certainly big enough for everyone. Jules took the group on a tour, dividing up bedrooms nonchalantly, and apologizing for the mustiness of the house.

The house was a three story mansion full of furniture and books and all the amenities anyone in the middle of Georgia could want. It was obviously once home to a very old, very rich family and there were enough beds for everyone. The main floor was all shared living space, kitchen, pantry, living room, all huge and open. The first floor was where T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie, Beth and Hershel were given rooms. The second floor was where Jules and Merle had made themselves comfortable, so that she could be close, Jules said, to the expansive library. Daryl, Carol Carl, Rick and Lori would all share the second floor.

"We haven't needed any of the other rooms, so we've kept 'em mostly closed up." She admitted to Rick, as she offered him and Lori the master suite. "Once the rooms were cleared of any walkers or anything that might otherwise compromise the security of the place, we just kinda let them be."

"What happened to all the personal effects?" Rick asked. "Photos, and trinkets and things?"

"Packed 'em away." Jules said with a shrug. "An' tucked 'em in the basement. Kept the clothes though, just in case."

"And where do you sleep?" Rick pressed.

"I sleep in the small room at the end of the hall with Pongo. Merle sleeps in the room across from me. Why does it matter?" She asked. "I know how he was before, but that's what it was. Before. Now, you really haven't got anything to worry about, sir." She smiled again, her easy-going ways were so natural, it seemed like nothing was out of place. "I'll let you get settled in. I'll be downstairs in the kitchen, I'll get us all somethin' to eat."

As soon as Jules left, Lori sank gratefully onto the bed. "Rick, it's a miracle." She breathed.

"You think it's safe here?" Rick asked. "You think Merle is safe?"

Lori shrugged. "We outnumber him." She said slowly. "And even if he tries to do something, Rick, Daryl will stop him. I don't think we have much of a choice in this matter. We can't really afford to look this gift horse in the mouth, can we?"

Rick conceded with a shrug of his shoulders and sat down next to Lori.


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: I really love this story, and I really like Jules as an OC. No, there's no romance between Jules and Merle. I figure if the show can add Milton, I can have Jules in an AU. Yes, I will get back to Merle and Derle doin' Merle an' Derle things, just let the back story go on okay?_

_As always, stay frosty._

_-Shazzy_

**-Breaking Bread-**

Jules was greeted in the kitchen by Carol and Maggie.

"Hi, ladies." Jules said as they made their proper introductions. "Wanna glass of tea, or somethin'?" She asked, opening the fridge.

"You have electricity?" Maggie asked, astonished.

Jules shrugged. "We have a couple of big ass generators in the basement. We keep everything off right now except for the cooler and the walk-in freezer. I figure if we save the gas as much as we can, we can avoid gettin' spotted if we're not burnin' wood."

"You have hot water then?" Maggie pressed, hopefully.

Jules smiled and poured each of the women a glass of iced tea. "Yes an' no." She admitted. "But I think that after all you've been through, we can let y'all bathe proper." She handed the beverages to Carol and Maggie and sat down at the small table with the other women.

"How did you end up with all this?" Carol asked quietly, sipping her tea.

"Been here since the shit hit the fan." Jules said with a shrug. "I'm from Boston, was here visiting friends and uh... well, holed up here right as things started heading south. Been stockpiling and hoarding ever since."

"Don't you have family you need to find?" Carol asked.

Jules shrugged. "I got a call from my mom right at the beginning of it all. She said to stay alive. We said our goodbyes and agreed that if things ever get back to normal, maybe we'd be able to meet up again one day. Otherwise, no. If my mom is still alive, which at this point, I kind of doubt, she's working under the assumption that I'm dead, too."

Carol shook her head.

"That's awful." Maggie said, patting Jules' hand. "I'm very sorry."

Jules shrugged again. "Thank you. I've mourned already. There's no point in grieving any more." She offered the ladies a smile. "It's getting late, we should see about getting your people fed somethin' more than whatever it is that you were eating on the road, and then we can see about proper baths."

Maggie and Carol followed Jules through the house, managing to accidentally acquire Carl, Daryl and Hershel tagging along as they made their way down to the basement.

Jules was more than happy to show off what her months of hard work and ingenuity had accomplished. The basement was a fortified concrete monstrosity, as big as the main floor of the house, even with the double walled, soundproof room that housed the two huge generators she'd mentioned. One wall was taken up by the double doors to the walk in freezer and the soundproof doors to the room that housed the generators. The rest of the space looked like a department store. Shelves filled up every available space and were all neatly organized with everything from bolts of fabric and leather and yarn, to medical supplies, to packaged foods and canning supplies.

Carol and Maggie were speechless. Daryl let out a low whistle of appreciation.

"How?" Hershel managed to ask weakly.

Jules smiled. "Like I said, to the ladies upstairs, I've been here since the shit hit the fan. I've been stockpiling and raiding the city for the past five months. This isn't even everything." She admitted, motioning to another room behind them. "I've got a dark pantry down here full of preserves, I've got ammo and a couple of guns, though I don't really use 'em myself, too risky an' too loud. I've got fuel and wood an' pretty much anything you can think of. Probably have enough building supplies to build another house, though we've been tryin' to figure out a way to make some decent shelters in these big ass trees around here, just in case." She looked at the group. "The only thing I don't really have is domesticated animals. So no eggs, or milk. I have some beef and maybe some chickens in the freezer though, I managed to peg a couple a' loose cows that got away from god-knows-where and I started out with a bunch of half-starved chickens runnin' around here."

"Holy shit."

Jules turned to look at where Rick and the rest of the group were standing at the stairs. Merle stood just behind everyone else, leaning nonchalantly against the wall, a look of smug pride on his face.

Jules blushed. "I take it that you approve, mister Grimes?"

"I daresay I do." Rick agreed.

"Merle, you wanna get the hot water goin'? I'm sure the ladies would love a bath before we eat." Jules demanded.

"We've got three bathrooms, with showers that'll work, but y'all can take turns fightin' over who gets to bathe first." Merle drawled, as he turned to walk back up the stairs.

"You don't want help with making a meal?" Carol asked.

"If you'd like to help, I'm not gonna say no." Jules admitted.

"I can wait to bathe." Carol agreed.

Jules smiled. "Cool." She glanced up at the rest of the group. "Go on an' make yourselves comfortable. Feel free to rummage through things, there's a whole library upstairs and I've got nothin' to hide." She invited. "An' Merle will get you anything you might need, if you need it."

The group slowly began to disperse, Daryl hung around in the basement, keeping an eye on Carol and Carl stuck around, amazed at what Jules had stockpiled.

"Lookin' for something, kid?" Jules asked lightly.

"Just looking." Carl admitted. "You said you have guns and stuff?" He added, eying the knife that Jules wore on her hip.

"Yeah, but we'll wait until your dad trusts me a bit better before we go breakin' those out."

Daryl laughed roughly from his spot keeping vigil by the stairs. "Rick will never trust you, Jules."

Jules grinned. "Well, I didn't demand that you all leave your guns, so obviously I'm not all that afraid of you."

"You've been hangin' around with Merle too much, then." Daryl shot back.

"Well, it's nice to have someone other than your brother to talk to." Jules said, smiling at Carl. "And Pongo is a great listener, but he never really has any opinions." She walked over to one of the shelves and pulled down a large, blue plastic Rubbermaid tote. Most of the shelves were filled with these totes, and it was obvious that they were water and air tight, perfect for keeping insects and rodents out. She set it down on the ground and pulled the lid off. "Hey, Carl? C'mere."

Carl nodded and walked over to where Jules had set down the bucket and peered inside.

"I don't think that _one_ before dinner would hurt, right?" Jules asked with a wink.

The look of delight that crossed Carl's face was enough to pique even the curiosity of Carol and Daryl. Inside the bucket was half a convenience store's worth of chocolate bars.

"Holy shit." Daryl breathed.

"You might just be my new favorite person in the whole world." Carol agreed.

Jules laughed. "Help yourselves." She said, leaving the bucket on the floor. "We'll take it upstairs for the rest of the group while I make something more appropriate to eat."

The offering of chocolate and a hot shower was more than enough to grease the wheels of the group, and most of the apprehension at having Merle back among them had disappeared when Daryl carried the bucket of treats up from the basement.

Carol and Jules set about preparing a meal together while the rest of the group sat around in the spacious living room, sharing chocolates and prying information from Merle.

"So how'd you end up here?" Daryl asked, perched on the arm of the sofa next to his brother.

Merle scratched his ear with his good hand in response. "That's kind of a long story." He admitted. "After y'all left me on the rooftop I had to decide if gettin' eaten alive was such a good idea." He waved the stump of his hand, still covered in the leather cap he'd taken to wearing. "Obviously I thought better of it. I found a van with the keys still in it." He continued.

"Yeah, that was ours." Rick said bitterly.

"Finders-keepers." Merle replied, trying to keep the tone civil and light. "Anyway, I took your van and started driving, wasn't sure where. Just out of the city. I don't remember much, I passed out behind the wheel and managed to stop the van without crashing it." He shrugged. "Next thing I knew, I was here an' Jules was sitting next to my bed, takin' care of me. She says I was out for three days." He added.

"And she just let you in here?" Rick asked.

"If you haven't noticed," Merle began, "Jules isn't quite your ordinary person. She's managed to survive by herself longer than anyone else I've ever met. All the stuff in the basement? She's been collecting and scavenging every day. At first, she was making daily trips into the city, then it got to be every other day. Now, it's once a week. She's gathered enough supplies to royally screw those shitheads over in Woodbury and she's got plans and the supplies to carry out full out fortifications on this house so that if it ever came down to a standoff with Walkers, or other survivors, she's prepared."

"What's Woodbury?" Rick pressed.

"That's a story for another time." Merle replied. "For now, all you gotta know is that if it wasn't for Jules, I'd be dead, or a Walker. And brother? Believe me when I tell you I'd have been one mean son of a bitch if I'd come back from the dead."

The group let out a collective chuckle at the sentiment.

"Tellin' all my secrets, are you Merle?" Jules asked as she and Carol brought in trays laden with food for the group. "Potatoes and root vegetables, homemade pickles, fresh peaches, sliced roast beef from the store in the freezer..." Jules listed.

"Good Lord, is that _bread_?" Hershel asked.

Jules laughed. "Yeah." She said, simply. "The first things I stockpiled were fresh things that would spoil fast, junk food and canned goods, and medical supplies. Then weapons. Then I started picking up the things that everyone else overlooked. Flour, rice, yeast, sugar, vinegar, dried beans and corn and stuff. Didn't you?"

The group got very quiet, guilty looks passing between several of the members.

Jules waved her hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter. For now? Let's eat."

No one could argue with that sentiment.


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: I missed writing. I missed these characters. I'm so happy to be back._

**-Trust-**

The group had split up, Lori, Carl and Beth had gone to bed for the night, too exhausted from the trials of living on the road to continue on into the night. Merle and Jules had a routine and habits that needed to be tended to, and despite offers from Glenn and Daryl, they refused the help, instead insisting that their guests rest up, as there would be plenty of time to help with the routines later.

Before she'd gone, however Jules had lit a fire in the main hearth, effectively heating the majority of the house. The rest of the group sat in the main living room near the blazing fire, full and warm and admittedly comfortable for the first time in weeks, since the farm had burned down.

"You don't trust it, do you?" Hershel asked Rick loudly, having gotten pretty good at reading their fearless leader.

"You weren't here before, Hershel." Rick replied slowly, casting a wary glance at Daryl. "You didn't see what it was like."

Hershel smiled. "No, I wasn't here when you last saw Merle, but I've seen remarkable things come from his brother. And if you ask me, which of course, you haven't, this isn't Merle's home. This all belongs to Jules. Merle is here out of necessity. Like us, he hasn't got anything, but he found something that he's chosen to hold on to. He's found someone who has taken him in without question, and they seem to be working all right together."

Rick frowned and cast a look at T-Dog. "The way I figure it, T-Dog, you me Glenn and Andrea, if she was here, would be the ones needin' to be looking over our shoulders n' sleep with one eye open."

T-Dog shrugged. "I'm okay with this." He admitted slowly, looking at Daryl, worriedly. "I mean, you don't offer to bring someone to your base, especially when you know you're outnumbered, if you plan on messing with them, right?"

Daryl snorted. "Y'all are paranoid." He accused from his spot on the arm of the couch. "But I guess it's fair." He conceded slowly. He shot a look at Carol, considering the possibility of his brother's wrath. "If I'm gonna be honest with you, I ain't seen Merle this _happy_ in a long damn time. I think if he was gonna screw with us, he'd have done it already. But I'm not sayin' he's gonna be all please and thank yous, that just ain't Merle." He sighed. "An' I'm not rulin' out the possibility of him bein' violent or nothin' either. Merle ain't just gonna be a pushover, even with one hand. But I don't think he's gonna outright hurt anyone."

Daryl paused for along moment. "But if he does, if he so much as says somethin' you don't like, any a' you don't like, or you don't feel safe for one tenth of a second, you tell me. An' I'll deal with it. Even if I have t' put my own brother down permanently."


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Believe me, all your questions will be answered, but I LOVE getting questions in my reviews because it makes me more aware of what y'all wanna see in the story, and what plot points/holes I have that need clarification. Thank you all for the lovely words. I think this is gonna be the long-term story that'll replace "Love" when I'm done with it._

_Cheers._

_-Shazzy_

**-Morning After-**

The group slept more soundly than they had even at the farm. The warm house, fresh beds and full bellies definitely made life a lot easier.

Merle and Jules were up at the crack of dawn, despite having been up later than usual the night before as they made sure that their guests had everything they needed to be comfortable.

Jules poked her head out of her room first, as Pongo padded downstairs to wait to be let out. She peered around the empty hallway and smiled. It seemed that the group was more exhausted than even she'd gathered. She crossed the wide hallway and knocked gently on Merle's bedroom door.

"Yeah yeah..." Merle mumbled from behind the thick wooden door. "Come in."

Jules pushed the door open and a smile crossed her face. Merle was sitting on the edge of his bed, shirtless, and scowling. He had basically contorted himself into a pretzel and was trying desperately to tie his bootlaces one handed.

"Morning." Jules said quietly as she crossed the familiar room to crouch by the bed.

"We really gotta figure out a durable way to attach a hook or somethin' to my arm." Merle whined as he allowed Jules to help him. "I can't stand this not bein' able to do shit for myself business."

"You could just sleep with your boots on." Jules suggested with a smirk. It was a conversation they'd had several times over since they'd teamed up.

"Yeah yeah yeah." Merle replied impatiently.

Jules couldn't help but smile and shake her head. "When the house burns down and you have to run outta here barefoot, you'll be _wishing_ you'd taken my advice."

Merle chuckled under his breath and Jules sat next to him on the bed. He held out his right arm and Jules removed the leather cap to inspect the wound it hid.

"Looks a lot better than it did." Jules mused, turning Merle's lack-of-hand over in her own. The burned and destroyed flesh had finally started healing around the stitches.

Jules had performed messy surgery on the wound when she'd brought him back to the house. The flesh had begun decaying around the wound and the cauterization Merle had performed on himself. She'd spent several trying hours while Merle was unconscious cutting away the dead flesh to prevent his whole arm from becoming necrotic and cleaning the wound. She threw up several times during the process but carried on, determined to save his arm if she could. Merle had been lucky that Jules had been able to clean the ruined flesh enough to stitch the wound closed by pulling the edges of his skin together over the marred stump of his arm. The necrosis hadn't spread and the wound was finally starting to look like it would heal up.

Merle pulled his arm away from Jules as movement at the door startled them both.

Daryl was standing in the doorway, rubbing his eye with one hand. "Does it still hurt?"

Jules quietly folded her hands in her lap and Merle got very defensive.

"Nothin' I can't handle." Merle spat, angrily. He was upset that Daryl had to see him in his weakened state, half-dressed and being tended to by a _girl_.

Daryl stepped into the room and closed the door. "You don't have to get pissed, Merle." He said calmly. "It looks nasty is all, I mean, do you have medicine? I could make a trip for you if you need..."

"I think we've got it handled." Merle snarled.

Jules frowned and bit her lower lip, a mannerism Daryl had seen come many a time from Carol when he'd lost his temper, and he wondered if it was just because she was nervous about the fact that Daryl was there, or if Merle hadn't really changed at all.

"Chill out, Merle." Daryl demanded. He looked at Jules, and back to his brother. "Sorry, didn't mean t' interrupt."

Merle stood and crossed the room to stare his brother down. He narrowed his eyes. "You suggestin' somethin', little brother?" He growled, seeing the look of worry cross Daryl's face when he looked at the girl. He waved the horrible wound in Daryl's face. "You think I'd let _anything_ happen to her? You think I'd hurt her? She's fixed this. You of all people should know that I ain't a _monster_, Daryl."

Daryl set his jaw and nodded. "Sorry, Merle." He said quietly, knowing he'd just stepped over a line that he hadn't intended to cross.

Merle snorted and shook his head, letting his temper ease off. "Nothin' to apologize for, Daryl." He said slowly. "I'm not easy to trust, I get it. Your people... well, they ain't got any reason t' trust me anyhow, but I ain't gonna kill anyone in their sleep, you should know that."

Daryl nodded and Merle crossed back to the bed and sat back down next to Jules.

Jules looked up at Daryl and smiled. It was then, Daryl realized, she wasn't ashamed, or hurt. Her mannerisms came from hesitation at the brothers' expense. She wasn't ready to step in if they'd actually begun fighting. Daryl wondered if there wasn't just a hint of jealousy behind her gaze, too.

"So, you're awake," Jules said, her tone instantly back to the easy-going manner she'd shown the day before. "Good! Means you can help us get our shit together this morning." She continued as she placed the leather cap back on Merle's hand and strapped it back on. "You can see how we've managed to maintain this all for as long as we have."

"That was the plan." Daryl agreed.

Merle nodded his approval as Jules fixed the leather cap on his arm. "Thank you." He said quietly.

"Of course." Jules replied, standing up. She looked at Daryl and smiled again, all trace of apprehension gone. "So Merle takes Pongo and goes and snares rabbits and birds and checks our traps for walkers every morning." She explained. "I go up to the roof."

"The roof?" Daryl parroted. "What for?"

Jules' smile grew wider. "I'll show you, come on."

The access to the roof was through the attic. The addition of the doorway through the ceiling was obviously new.

"You built this?" Daryl asked as they crossed the attic to the ladder.

"Yeah." Jules admitted as she grabbed a bag from the floor next to the ladder. "I wanted to make sure that if anything ever happened, I'd have an escape route no matter where I ended up."

"Smart." Daryl agreed, shifting his crossbow onto his shoulder before following Jules up the ladder and onto the roof.

The view was spectacular from the rooftop. Daryl could see everything from his vantage point; the orchard, the treeline, the highway... He let out a low whistle and shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Jules smiled and walked carefully across the sloping roof, keeping her footing expertly. She set the bag down and rummaged for the briefest of moments. She produced a modified slingshot and a belt clip of ammunition for it. She smiled up at Daryl and pointed.

Daryl peered over the edge of the roof. He could see Pongo and Merle crossing the front yard and disappear into the trees.

"You said there's walker traps in there?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah." Jules replied, hesitantly. "Really they're more traps I set up for any of those Woodbury assholes, but they work pretty good for keepin' walkers out."

"What's out there?" Daryl pressed.

"There's a spike pit that runs around the edge of the property." Jules explained. "There was a natural ditch, so I filled it with wooden spikes. Then when I started hoarding, I came across razor and barbed wire, so we strung that up through the trees along the edges, too." She shrugged. "It's pretty nasty, but it keep unwanted visitors out. You'll wanna tell your people to avoid the trees too much. We have markings so we know when we're getting close, but I'd hate to see Carl forget and get hurt accidentally."

Daryl nodded. "Noted." He agreed, crossing the roof to kneel next to Jules. "So what do you do up here?"

Jules smiled again and nodded out towards the backyard. There were some deer grazing on the edge of the property. "There's _always_ game animals around here." She said. "Sometimes we get lucky and find a cow or somethin' that's wandered away and managed to survive this long, but it's mostly deer and moose 'round here."

"So you hunt from up here?" Daryl asked with a grin.

Jules shrugged. "I've been able to keep the larders full so far. Merle goes and gets small game and I hunt the big things from up here every other day or so. The way I see it is that the more I can stock up on now, the less I'll have to worry when everything goes to sleep over the winter, y'know?"

"Aren't you worried about like... conservation?" Daryl asked.

Jules shook her head. "Lord, no." She admitted. "The herds that roam around here are massive. And the Woodbury crew doesn't come this far so I don't have to worry about the hunting. It's the stockpiled stuff that I worry about. I mean, coffee and tea only lasts for so long. We've been rationing it as strictly as we can, but with all of you now, we're gonna have to be extra careful."

"All of us?" Daryl asked.

"I assume y'all are staying right?" Jules said, picking a small metal ball bearing from the belt clip. "I mean, Lori's pregnant, and you've got nowhere else to go over the winter, have you?"

Daryl blinked back his surprise. "How'd you know about Lori?"

Jules smirked. "She's got morning sickness. She was up throwing up before you were awake." She said slowly. "I asked what was wrong and she told me." Jules shrugged again. "Besides, I can't turn Merle's own brother away, that wouldn't be right. And to let y'all try to find a place out here to hole up for the winter? No way. Mom always taught me to help anyone I can, and I figure if Woodbury ever finds out I'm here, I'd rather have a dozen or so armed friends around than to be alone."

"You keep mentioning Woodbury." Daryl said, watching Jules draw back the rubber band on her slingshot and take aim at one of the deer grazing below. "What's Woodbury?"

"Woodbury is a little town a ways away." Jules said slowly, sighting through her slingshot. "They're ruled by a guy named Governor Blake. Real sick bastard, though." She mumbled. "They aren't the kind of people you wanna get involved with."

Jules let her bullet fly. It whistled through the air and disappeared.

"You missed." Daryl said.

"No, I didn't." Jules replied, tucking her weapon and ammunition back in the bag.

Daryl watched as a crimson splotch appeared on the back of the deer's head. The other deer grazing scattered as their companion dropped dead.

Jules sat down on the edge of the roof, her feet dangling. Daryl joined her, leaning on his hands as they sat there as the sun began to rise, colouring the skyline a vivid orange and pink.

"Good shot." Daryl mused.

"Thanks." Jules replied. "I've gotten pretty good at it."

"You take walkers out with that thing?"

Jules laughed. "Yeah. A lot quieter than a gun, and I can find ammo for this thing almost anywhere. I mean, if I wanted to piss your brother off, I'd have brought some pine cones up here with me." She said with a wicked little grin. "Rocks, nuts, hell, I've shot screws outta this thing."

Daryl nodded. "Never thought of it." He admitted.

Jules shrugged. "I keep the guns for emergencies. Ammo is too precious to waste on things like hunting." She eyed Daryl. "So, how long have you been dating Carol?"

"What?"

Jules grinned at the incredulous tone Daryl took. "You hover around her constantly. You're always making sure she's all right, that she's eaten, that she's comfortable. You followed us to the basement fer Chrissakes." She shook her head. "It's pretty obvious you've got somethin' going on."

"You'd better go clean that deer before it spoils." Daryl pointed out, tactfully changing the subject.

"Merle does it." Jules said, taking Daryl's hint. "I don't have the stomach for it." She admitted sheepishly. "Plus, it's one of the things he can do one-handed. It keeps him useful."

As if on cue, Merle emerged from the treeline, Pongo bounding ahead with a squirrel in his jaws. Merle waved up at the two figures on the roof. Jules waved back.

"See? Rabbits and a duck it looks like." She said, pointing.

Daryl nodded. "You've got this all figured out, haven't you?"

"Mostly." Jules admitted. "So he'll go clean the game and get it hung, bring in the other stuff we bagged the other day, and I go inside and get breakfast going."

Daryl smiled. "What do you want us to do?" He asked, referring to his group.

"I'll put y'all to work later." Jules said. "I figure a few days of gettin' your strength back and gettin' used to the insane schedule we keep around here won't hurt. But, I'm planning on takin' a trip into town later, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. You're welcome to join me. As long as Rick approves."

Daryl snorted. "I'll talk to him." He assured Jules with a friendly pat on the shoulder. "He's just worried about Merle."

Jules nodded. "I would be, too." She confessed. "I mean... He wasn't very nice when we first met."

Daryl frowned. "He ever hurt you?"

"No." Jules said, watching the other Dixon drag the game away towards the shed they used as a smokehouse. "But I sat by his bedside for three days trying to keep his hand from getting infected." She explained. "I kept him pretty drugged up while I cleaned that wound. I have some serious medical stuff in the basement, morphine, codeine, a bunch of prescription drugs... Anyway, his hand was going necrotic and I was afraid he'd end up losing the whole arm. After that, we got into a fight, he was pretty violent and suffering from withdrawals from whatever he was on before, and I kept a gun on me for the first week he was here." She looked at Daryl apologetically. "I wasn't very nice to him."

"Merle wasn't very nice in general." Daryl replied, remembering the stash of drugs in the motorcycle he'd abandoned. He made a mental note to ditch them if he got the chance to go back for the bike. "Is he clean now?"

Jules nodded. "Yeah. He doesn't touch the drugs I have stored up. He's got more important things to worry about these days."

"Like you?" Daryl pressed.

"Ha, no." Jules replied. "It's not like that. He's had to relearn how to do things, and how to do things with one hand, y'know? It's been rough on him. It's why we make as many trips into the city to scavenge as possible. It's why we get up so early and I insist on hunting and stuff every day. It keeps him busy."

"And what happens when you don't have anything to do?" Daryl asked.

Jules shrugged. "I should get back inside." She said, changing the subject. "I've got a dozen mouths to feed."


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: Well, I do actually have some idea of where this is going, so y'all should be happy about that. :P_

_-Shazzy_

**-Day Jobs-**

Daryl hovered around the kitchen while Jules set about the task of making breakfast for a dozen hungry newcomers. He helped her bring things up from the storage in the basement without complaining while she buzzed around the kitchen, seemingly perfectly happy and in her element. He didn't talk much, and Jules hummed 80's rock music to herself while she worked.

Daryl couldn't help but find himself smiling at the entire thing. She was the most relaxed person Daryl had seen since the whole world had fallen apart. She moved with a comfortable efficiency in her home, not even batting an eye at the thought of feeding another dozen people. She talked openly about anything you asked her about and she was full of energy. She seemed outright _happy_ despite the world having fallen apart. Daryl wondered if she was meant for living like this, and honestly how long she'd been doing this since before the world ended.

"You cook?" Jules asked Daryl as she set things on the stove to cook. She'd hooked the electric stove back up, it would be easier to use to cook for the new group that way than on the wood stove.

"Not like this." Daryl replied.

"You're a rugged outdoorsy kind of guy?" She asked in return. "Cook fish over the fire an' all that shit?"

Daryl smirked. "Yeah, I guess?"

Jules shot him an indecipherable look. "Well, if you're half as useful as your brother has been, I'm sure that I won't mind cookin' for you once in a while."

Jules baked bread that she'd had ready in the cooler and brought out some dehydrated eggs and powdered milk to serve. She chose to avoid cooking any meat, though, knowing that Lori was in the worst stages of morning sickness. Still, the breakfast she produced was more than the group had seen in weeks. Scrambled eggs, milk, fresh bread, fresh fruit, oatmeal and fruit preserves were laid out on the large dining room table with plates and cutlery and an open invitation for the group to help themselves. Jules brewed coffee and a pot of tea without hesitation, happy to share as much as she could before the rations needed to be reconsidered.

Merle joined the group as they set about eating breakfast. He didn't say anything to anyone, but mumbled a thank you to Carol as she handed him a plate laden with food. Jules tried her best not to smile openly at the gesture. She liked Carol, and was happy to have someone else around who would instinctively take on a motherly role in the group. Merle took his usual seat next to Jules at the edge of the table, and Daryl sat next to his brother, just in case, as the silence of a meal being eaten fell over the table.

Rick broke the silence first.

"We have some questions."

Jules smiled. "We?" She asked. "Or just you?"

Rick nodded. "Fair enough." He drawled. "I have some questions. I'm sure the others do, too."

Jules shrugged. "Fire away." She said, helping herself to bread and jam, and handing a piece to Merle as well, as she waited for Rick's line of questioning.

"You keep mentioning Woodbury." Rick said.

"I'll explain that after." Jules said, cutting Rick off. "It's a long damn story."She smiled politely at the group. "Look, I dunno what to tell you. I got stuck here, made the best of it and have happened to come out on top of it all so far. I'm more'n happy to share what I've got with you all since I know that a group is better than me an' Merle tryin' to make it much farther on our own."

Merle grunted his agreement and took a sip of his coffee.

Jules grinned and continued. "I didn't make it this far by lettin' anyone in. I've killed walkers, but I've never killed a person. I don't fight if I can avoid it. I saved Merle 'cause it was the right thing t' do, and I'm more than happy to have y'all here. I've scavenged and stolen and screwed over the guys in Woodbury by nabbing what they needed first. I have guns and ammo and stuff locked away in the basement. Not once did I even consider pulling weapons on you, even before I knew you weren't from Woodbury. I didn't ask you to drop your weapons, I didn't think that would even be necessary. We're all civil humans here, right? I think that we can all trust one another if only so that we can survive the winter." She glanced at Lori. "And to make a safe place for new beginnings."

Rick shook his head, amazed. "Where are you from?"

"Boston." Jules said. "I was here on vacation visiting some friends. They're all dead now." She shrugged. "I was a film student back in Boston, but I learned about survival a long damn time ago. I assume my mom is dead, I got lucky, we got to talk before the shit hit the fan and we said our goodbyes."

"How did you know how to fix Merle's hand?" Daryl asked.

Jules snorted. "Common sense, mostly." She admitted. "I used to watch a lot of medical television and I learned as much as I could for realism in my craft, y'know, before. And there's some good books up in the library, so that helped." She shook her head. "I got lucky with it, to be honest."

"What sort of defences do you have around here?" Rick pressed.

Jules shot him a pointed look. "Secrecy." She said bluntly. "No one knows we're here. This house is hidden well away from the main road and the Woodbury crews don't come this far out, there's no point, they've scavenged what they needed already and we took the rest. But aside from that, the trees are lined with razor and barbed wire, so just stay outta the trees unless me or Merle is with you, since you won't know what to look for. Then along the inside edge of the treeline there's a spike pit that runs all the way around the property. Aside from that? We just manage to stay secretive about our location. It's why I try not to burn wood if I can help it."

"What do you need us to do to earn our keep?" Hershel asked, getting looks of worry from the group. They hadn't discussed this, the thought had barely crossed anyone's mind. Helping was really the last thing anyone had considered.

Jules blinked in surprise. "I don't rightly know." She admitted. "First off, though, I'll get y'all kitted up with proper bags, so that at least y' aren't runnin' around with nothin'."

"Kitted up?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah." Jules said. "Proper bug out bags." She shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Y'all each need a weapon, some food, some medical gear... some rope."

Daryl snorted at the mention of rope.

"In case we gotta bail." Jules shrugged again. "Better you have enough to get you outta the fire if it comes down to it than to run off into the night with nothing."

"Already done it once." T-Dog said, meaning their loss on the farm.

"Done it more'n once." Daryl pointed out.

"What are the chances of us needing to run?" Carol asked.

"Wouldn't you rather know you've got enough to provision yourself for a couple a' days on the road and not need it, than to not have a kit and have to run outta here in a hurry?" Merle asked, waving his fork to accentuate his point. "I mean, shit, I wouldn't have made it this far if Jules hadn't been carrying a few things with her when she found me."

"Weapons?" Rick asked.

"We've got guns." Merle said slowly. "And knives, and ammo, and pretty much everything you could want." He eyed Rick casually. "All locked away in th' basement."

"Seemed like a better idea than having them all stacked in the living room." Jules added quickly. "Ammo is too precious to waste, so we don't use the guns if we can help it."

"She uses a slingshot." Daryl piped up with a grin. "Damn good shot, too."

"Well, at least let us clean up for you?" Carol suggested. "And you can start building these kits of yours?"

Jules smiled and nodded. "Sure, if you really want to." She agreed slowly.

"Let me make sure your medical supplies are in good order." Hershel offered. "I can tell you if things need replacing."

"Thank you." Jules said.

Hershel smiled. He glanced at Merle. "I can take a look at your hand if you want." He offered.

"I'll keep you in mind, Doc." Merle replied, patting Jules on the shoulder with his good hand. "She's done a good job so far. I'm sure I'm okay."

"Offer stands, if you feel like you need it." Hershel said with a nod.

"Will do." Merle said amiably.

"There's a big ass garden out back, and the orchard." Jules explained. "And a couple of beehives, though I haven't gotten around to reading about how to take care of them yet." She hesitated. "I've got crops growin' in the garden, vegetables that I replanted. I dunno if we'll get anything else outta that garden this season, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. The orchard is picked almost clean, and I've already done as much preserving as I could, obviously." She sighed. "The way we work is that Merle an' I hunt every other day, he cleans the game, I preserve it as best I can. I do the washin' and cooking, for the most part. We scavenge in town twice a week and keep an eye out for any Woodbury crews. We haven't seen any walkers up this way in what?"

"Three weeks at least." Merle said. "It's nice an' quiet up this way."

"If you wanna sew or knit or whatever, all the supplies are down in the basement." Jules offered, looking at Lori and Carol. "Help yourselves to whatever you need. There's clothes in most of the closets, too, from the family who I assume used to live here. Seriously, anything you need, please don't hesitate."

Jules stopped her rant and frowned. "I'm just really happy to have a kinda family around, y'know?"

The group grew very quiet at Jules' sentiment.

Each person was suddenly very aware that a single thought had passed through almost everyone's mind: _Maybe we could take this place over for ourselves_.

Only Daryl, and Carol because she wasn't like that, hadn't thought of it that way. But everyone was suddenly very aware of that single, malicious thought.


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: Man, what a bunch of jerks. I should just throw 'em all to the Woodbury crews and save Jules some heartache, what do you think? :3_

_-Shazzy_

**-Creature Comforts-**

Jules waited for Carol, Beth and Maggie to finish cleaning up before she started making her kits. She wanted to make sure that everyone had everything they needed, and she insisted that whatever weapons or food they all pack was what they were comfortable with.

She didn't stop anyone from taking what they wanted, and she even insisted that they each take extra ammunition for the guns they already carried.

As she helped Carl fill the bag he chose, Rick, Glenn and T-Dog hovered just out of earshot.

"It would be so _easy_ to take over." Glenn pointed out in a rushed whisper. "She's giving us weapons."

"Don't you think I've already thought of this?" Rick replied in kind. "She's not quick enough to stop us if we outnumber her. She won't fight. And Merle's a cripple."

"What about Daryl?" T-dog asked slowly. "You mess with his brother, and your Dixon is gonna bite."

Rick shrugged. "You think he'd side with his brother?"

"Definitely."

Rick sighed and folded his arms across his chest, watching Jules and Carl working together and _smiling._ "We're not taking this place by force." He said slowly. "I hate myself for even thinking it." He looked from Glenn, to T-Dog. "She's offered us run of the house. She's shared her food, her supplies. She's giving us weapons, for Christ's sakes. She's no threat to us."

"What about this Woodbury thing?" Glenn asked.

"She says it's a town, a bunch of crazy survivors, right?" Rick asked rhetorically. "I say we take out chances here. If they're as bad as she says they are, I'd rather not risk anyone in a fight against them."

"I'm all for that." T-Dog said with a sigh. "So we're just gonna take this all at face value?"

Carl's laughter filled the spaces in between the tense conversation and Rick relaxed.

"Yeah." Rick said. "We'll take it at face value."


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: My my, you didn't like Rick considering taking Jules' things from her, did you? Play nice children, and the same goes for Rick and his group._

_Cheers._

_-Shazzy_

**-Scavenging Party-**

The emergency bags that Jules had made were packed heavily, each person in the group was now carrying enough to sustain them for at least 48 hours on the road, if it ever came down to running again. Plus emergency medical gear, additional ammunition and essentials for life on the road. She was satisfied with the kits she'd helped prepare and hoped that they wouldn't need to use them.

The women had gone outside, intending to familiarize themselves with the grounds, namely the garden and the orchard, and Jules couldn't deny them the opportunity. The rest of the group seemed to disperse to do whatever it was the the group did when there wasn't something immediate that required their attention.

Jules began putting things away in the basement.

"You said you were planning a trip into town?" Rick asked as soon as Jules had a moment alone.

Jules stopped and looked up at the sheriff. "Was thinkin' about it, yeah?" She said slowly. "Your people are welcome to come with us if you're feeling up to it."

Rick nodded. "Not all of us. Just a handful. Daryl, myself, maybe Glenn?"

"Don't see why not." Jules replied with a shrug. "So long as you don't get in my way." She added.

"You have a system haven't you?"

Another shrug. "It's kind of been a methodical sweep of the area, picking up what we can where we can and prioritizing what supplies we need." Jules explained slowly. "But then Woodbury started showing up and it's become more of a race to see who can get what's needed before the other. They don't have a schedule, so it's almost impossible to tell what's gonna happen, y'know? I've had a few very, very close calls."

"Close calls?"

Jules sighed and ran a hand through her short hair. "Yeah. They're violent at Woodbury. I dunno if they're ex-military or what, but they're not the kind of people you wanna mess with. They all shoot first and ask questions later. The last time that I went into town, I was spotted by these guys. They had heavy weapons, like serious stuff that I wouldn't know anything about."

"Like, machine guns?" Rick asked.

Jules nodded. "I guess so? I didn't stick around to find out. They saw me, called me out and threatened to open fire. When I didn't respond, they came after me, makin' threats of everything from death to rape to slavery to god knows what since I didn't stick around to hear 'em out. Point is that these guys don't function under the normal rules of society. The Governor puts on a show, has his little utopia for the people in general, but he lets his dogs loose and all bets are off."

"Sounds like Merle would've fit in well there." Rick mused bitterly.

Jules poked Rick in the chest angrily. "Are you shittin' me?" She snarled. "Yeah, Merle was an ass, key word there being 'was'. I owe him my life, he's saved my sorry hide more times than I can count, so I'd watch it if I were you, Mister Grimes."

"Sorry." Rick apologized immediately. "You have to understand, we didn't have a very good first impression of Merle."

"Neither did I." Jules admitted with a huff. "And yes, he probably would have fit in quite nicely with those bastards from Woodbury. Point is that he's here now and he's helpful, right?"

Rick nodded. "So town?" He asked, changing the subject.

Jules scowled, unimpressed with Rick's attitude, but nodded. "We'll take the van we accidentally stole from you. We fixed it up so it runs better, it can hold a lot of supplies. Get your group together and we'll leave in fifteen minutes."

Good to her word, Jules was ready to go in fifteen minutes. She pulled the familiar white van out of the shed that acted as a garage and the group began piling into the back. Glenn had asked to stay behind, reasoning that if anything happened, he was one extra body to defend the house, and Rick agreed, instead taking just Daryl.

Merle and Daryl climbed into the back of the van and Jules offered Rick the passenger seat.

"Sorry about before." Rick said quietly. "I owe you the life of my group, of my wife, my son..."

"Water under the bridge." Jules replied as she started the van. "I get it. You can't trust anyone these days." She offered a small smile.

"Yeah..." Rick mumbled. "I hear that."

"Jules! We're burnin' daylight!" Merle called from the back of the van.

"Yeah, I know!" Jules shot back easily. "Don't you wanna do another after dark raid?"

"Jesus, no." Merle drawled with a chuckle. "That was the worst idea I've ever had."

"Holy shit." Daryl announced with a laugh. "What has she done to ya', Merle? I've never heard you once apologize for a bad idea!"

Merle smacked his brother in the arm and muttered some kind of brotherly threat that made Daryl laugh even harder as Jules drove towards town.

"How far out are you?" Rick asked warily.

"We're about fifteen minutes by vehicle." Jules explained. "And the back roads are confusing. Like I said, we haven't seen anyone up our way for a while." She smiled. "Don't worry, Rick, we won't leave you behind. That's not our style."

Jules parked in the city, tucking the van neatly away in an alley with clear access. Everyone climbed out of the van and armed themselves.

"Got a plan?" Daryl asked.

"There's baby supplies up there." Jules replied, pointing down the street. "Little drug store that I don't think Woodbury knows about. We'll grab what we can find for Lori and her kid. Then we'll swing back, grab up some other supplies on the way. This whole complex was clean, free of Walkers last time we were through and we boarded it up. Hopefully Woodbury hasn't been through here yet."

"And if we run into the Woodbury crew?" Daryl pressed.

"We hide." Jules said. "And try not to give up our supplies. I'd rather starve those bastards out than let 'em take anything from me."

Merle nodded. "We've got a sweet set up, more than enough to last, but if your group is plannin' on staying, we couldn't go wrong with gettin' extra."

"Drug store first then?" Rick asked.

Jules nodded. "Yeah, then we hit up the rest of these shops on the way back, fill up our carts or whatever we can find, bring it back to the van." She smiled. "Stay close, is all I'm asking. Don't shoot unless you absolutely have to."

"Gunshots echo something fierce here." Merle explained. "An' if we get pinned down, we're fucked."

"Lead the way." Rick offered.

Jules obliged.

The city was a shell. And quiet as the grave. No groaning walkers to be heard, and only the sound of their footsteps marked the fact that there was anyone in the city at all. No one spoke. Daryl and Merle brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for anything that moved.

Jules and Rick jimmied the door open and they slipped into the strip mall, pulling out flashlights and making sure everything was still intact and Walker free.

"Toldja." Jules whispered as she led Rick into the pharmacy. "Grab a cart, let's load up as much as we can." She said, moving with practised ease.

Rick followed her easily enough, as she whispered directions and told him what to grab. She filled two carts with baby supplies as Rick nabbed everything else, from vitamins to painkillers to bandages and feminine hygiene products without question.

The shelves were a lot cleaner when they were finished.

"Ready to go?" Jules hissed.

Rick nodded.

They dragged the carts through the aisles towards the door and were stopped as Merle and Daryl slipped inside and closed the door.

"What the hell?" Jules hissed. "We have to go!"

Merle shook his head. "Woodbury is here."


	13. Chapter 13

**-Sitting Ducks-**

The worry in Merle's voice was enough to send a twinge of panic through Daryl's core.

_Woodbury._

It was like a curse word, something whispered in the dark when you don't want your parents to hear you. The word had power, and the power was fear.

"How many?" Jules asked quietly as she pulled Merle away from the door.

"Didn't see more than five, maybe?" Merle replied quietly, running his good hand against his mouth. "Sorry Jules."

Jules shook her head, though the motion was difficult to see in the dark. "It's not your fault." She assured him.

"So what are we gonna do?" Rick asked, his voice twinged with worry. "We have people back at your place who are gonna worry when we don't show up."

"They're safe." Merle snapped. "It's our asses we need to worry about right now."

"Can't we take 'em out?" Daryl suggested quietly.

Merle and Jules exchanged an indecipherable look.

"Do you think that's best, Merle?" Jules asked slowly.

Daryl realized, in that moment, how much Merle had changed. He'd never seen hesitance in his brother when it came to the option of taking the boots to someone who was fucking with him. He'd never seen his brother weigh the option on whether it was worth fighting. He'd never seen his brother even _consider_ running away. And Daryl sure as hell hadn't ever seen his brother defer to someone, let alone a woman, before making that kind of choice.

"How far away are they?" Rick asked, breaking the moment of contemplation.

"Couple blocks, maybe?" Daryl said carefully.

"Is there a back door?" Rick asked, turning to Jules.

"Maybe?" Jules replied hesitantly. "We didn't check as thoroughly as we should have last time we were through here."

"You thinkin' about ditchin'?" Daryl asked, shooting a glance at the carts full of supplies.

"We can come back for this stuff." Rick replied.

"Not if those Woodbury fuckers loot it all." Merle pointed out. "And how much of this stuff do you really need?" He asked further.

"Lori's not due for a few months." Rick replied calmly.

"Yeah, about six, if I'm gonna take a guess." Jules added. "Not 'til after winter, by my guess she's about what? Three months along? She's still got morning sickness." She explained carefully, afraid of stepping on toes. "It's more of a just-in-case measure, right? Like, what if Lori can't breastfeed or something, you know? I'd rather have the supplies on hand to handle _anything_ than to have to risk making a run and not finding what we need later."

"You have kids, Jules?" Rick asked.

"No sir." Jules admitted. "Mom worked in the medical and home care field all my life. I learned things. Saw too much heartache over unexpected pregnancies. And I'm a realist. I'd rather have a gun and not need it than to need it and not have it."

"You apply that logic to anything other than guns and baby formula?" Daryl asked with a smirk.

"That's information that I supply on a need to know basis." Jules replied with a wink. "And right now, you don't need to know."

"This is all fine and dandy to sit here an' yammer about what ifs," Merle interrupted, "but we have a serious problem out there an' we need to come up with an answer right away. I'm not willing to be a sittin' duck here."

Rick and Jules stared at each other for a long moment. Both were leaders in their own right and both had a vested interest in the outcome of this little standoff.

"Pack as much as we can carry into bags and leave what we don't think we're gonna need immediately?" Rick suggested. "Look for a back door outta here, maybe hit the roof if we need to?"

Jules frowned, biting her lower lip in hesitance. She didn't want to leave the supplies; she knew that their rations wouldn't stretch nearly as far feeding Rick's group as she had figured they would when it was just her and Merle. She didn't like the thought of leaving things to chance and hoping that the Woodbury crews wouldn't just ransack the places they'd cleared and secured for their convenience.

"We could go kill them, Jules." Merle whispered, placing his hand on her shoulder. "We can take 'em out now, and hope that they don't have backup." He shot a glance at Rick, who was nodding slowly. "It might save us heartache in the long run."

"I'd rather not." Jules said, her voice cracking.

Merle nodded. "So to the roof?" He asked. "Or do you wanna risk the alley?"

Jules ran her hands through her hair and looked from Merle to Rick to Daryl. They all seemed to be waiting for her input. She looked at Rick, and shrugged, letting him take the lead on this one.

"Let's look for a back door." Rick decided.


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Is it February yet? I need my actual Merle fix. God, I hope he doesn't die... I want to see him develop into a functional person!_

**-Fight or Flight-**

They packed up what they thought most important and slung the backpacks over their shoulders. Jules was hesitant to leave, even after they agreed they'd return the next day to assess whatever damage the Woodbury scavenging crews did to their otherwise fruitful supply.

They found the back entrance easily and slipped quietly into the alley.

Merle made a point to close and barricade the door, just in case.

Rick led the way back towards the mouth of the alley where they'd left their van. Jules fell into step behind him with the Dixon boys bringing up the rear. They moved silently, careful not to make their footsteps echo through the dead alleyway.

The voices of the Woodbury crew seemed to be getting louder and Rick motioned for them to hurry.

The first shadows fell behind them just as they passed the crossroad between buildings.

"Shit." Daryl hissed, fluidly moving to press his back against the brick wall. He motioned for the others to follow suit and no one hesitated.

They hadn't been discovered, but there was definitely someone coming down the alley.

"Climb up." Rick instructed, nodding towards the fire escape that hung just above their heads.

Daryl nodded. "Merle an' I got this." He said, slipping his backpack from his shoulders and handing it to Rick.

Merle followed suit and handed his bag to Jules. "We'll be up in a minute." He assured her.

Rick gave Jules a boost to get up onto the first ledge of the fire escape, and she lowered the ladder quickly. Rick clambered up after Jules and they made their ascent as quickly and quietly as they could. They crouched on the roof, keeping an eye out for anyone else from the Woodbury crew.

Merle scooted forward, right at the mouth of the alley. He drew the Bowie knife he wore at his hip in his good hand and waited. Daryl notched an arrow in his crossbow.

The Woodbury scout didn't even have time to register what was happening. Merle's knife slipped easily into the flesh of the scout's neck and he drove the man forward, into the deeper shadows and away from the building where Jules and Rick had climbed to find a hiding spot. The scout didn't even have time to make a noise.

Merle wiped the blood from his knife and hand on the scout's clothes and stood, turning to look at his brother.

"You gotta..." Daryl mumbled, aiming his bow at the dead scout.

"Shoot 'em in the head, I know." Merle said, placing his hand against the bow and pushing his brother away. "He won't be gettin' up though. Listen."

The unmistakable groans of walkers sounded from the far side of the alley.

Daryl shook his head, still unsure about leaving the scout to chance. Merle sighed and picked up a brick from the ground. With one deft motion, he cracked the scout's skull with a sickening crunch. Daryl scowled but nodded his approval.

Merle silently raided the scout's body, grabbing his gun and the extra ammunition he'd been carrying.

"Let's go." Merle said grimly.

Daryl led the way and the Dixon brothers climbed the fire escape just as the first walkers appeared, drawn to the smell of fresh blood.

"Got bigger things to worry about than Woodbury." Daryl announced as he helped Merle climb over the lip of the rooftop.

Jules eyes Merle hesitantly. "You hurt?" She asked, noticing the blood spattered on his shirt.

Merle didn't even look at the crimson staining his clothes. He shook his head and held out his hand to take his bag back. Jules handed it to him and he slung it back over his shoulders easily. "We should get goin' if we wanna stay ahead of those walkers." He said. "The roofs aren't close enough together to let us jump beyond the next one, we're gonna have to climb down the next fire escape and make a run for it."

Rick peered over the edge of the roof, spotting the walkers and the dead scout. He looked back at the Dixon brothers and nodded his approval of the plan.

"Come on." Daryl said, offering Jules his hand to pull her up from the spot where she was sitting.

The group moved easily, crossing the roof and making it to the next fire escape with ease. They were halfway down the ladders when they heard the first gunshots.

Merle smiled coolly. "At least they're gonna be held off for us." He said. "We can come and grab supplies tomorrow an' we won't have to worry about walkers."

"Bright side to everything." Daryl agreed easily as they climbed to the ground and ran for their van.

At least, their escape was clean.


	15. Chapter 15

**-Rules-**

Jules climbed into the driver's seat of the van but was shaking as she tried to put the keys in the ignition. Rick took her hand in his and stared at her for a long moment.

"Let me drive?" He suggested.

Jules set her jaw and glared at Rick for a moment. With a sigh, she nodded and let him take the keys. "Merle will give you directions." She said, slipping out of the driver's seat and moving quickly around to the back of the van.

It took half a minute for everyone to shuffle their places. Jules made a point to sit as far away from the cab as possible, embarrassed that Rick had seen her shaking as badly as she was.

Rick took off, driving as carefully as he could away from the sounds of the standoff between the Walkers and the scouts from Woodbury. Gunshots echoed behind them as Merle pointed out back roads and alleyways that they knew were clear and would get them away from Woodbury's eyes.

Merle and Rick talked in the cab, Merle giving directions and Rick asking questions about the buildings they passed. Daryl slid across the back of the van to sit closer to Jules.

"You okay?" He asked gruffly, sounding more awkward than he'd hoped.

Jules shrugged in reply, slouching forward to avoid looking at Daryl.

"Something's got you shook up." Daryl pointed out flatly. "An' I'm pretty sure it ain't the walkers."

Jules sighed and leaned her head back against the wall of the van. She closed her eyes, trying to will away the shakes, she didn't want to seem any weaker than she already had.

"I'm not gonna hold it against you." Daryl promised, pressing for information the only way he knew how. "I mean, shit, there's a lot a' things to worry about. An' you don't have to deal with them all alone, y'know."

Jules opened her eyes to stare at Daryl. "Did Merle tell you about my friends?"

Daryl shook his head. "He said that he ditched his group because they weren't useful."

Jules snorted. "My group." She replied. "I wasn't alone when I found your brother. I had a few friends with me. People I trusted. People I loved."

Daryl nodded. "What happened?"

"Woodbury happened." Jules spat. "Those assholes." She growled and wrung her hands. "We were scavenging, there were four of us. Me an' Merle and my friends Jamie and Cleo. We were gettin' really good at making runs into town. But, I guess this was well before we knew about Woodbury. Anyway, we were a well oiled machine before Merle came 'round, and yer brother just made things a lot easier. He's better suited to this kinda thing than we were I guess."

Daryl nodded again. "Yeah, we always were." He mumbled, mildly embarrassed.

"We got ambushed." Jules continued. "Those Woodbury pricks snuck up on us. We didn't even see them coming until it was too late. They wanted to take us captive, take us back to the town. We refused. They threatened us. We still refused. They started shooting. We all split up. Merle an' I were the lucky ones."

Jules took a moment to unbutton and push aside the fabric of the work shirt she was wearing, revealing her shoulder and collarbone, slipping the shirt away from her skin. Daryl visibly winced, and not just because there was a girl stripping in the van next to him. The flesh of her shoulder and collarbone was ruined, marred by deep scars that looked fairly fresh, and not entirely healed up. Two deep craters and several longer scars that looked like they'd been gashes at one point.

"Automatic weapons." She said disdainfully. "Who the fuck gets a hold of automatics? How to you maintain them? Ammo is scarce enough as it is." She shook her head and pulled her shirt back on. She shot a glance up towards the overhead rear view mirror. She could see Rick's blue eyes staring at her, darting from the road to look back at her. She knew he was listening and she knew he'd seen her battle scars. "I was lucky that the bullets missed my collarbone and my shoulder. They were essentially flesh wounds that I cleaned up myself, high on codeine while Merle watched to make sure I didn't mess myself up worse. Not much he can do surgery wise with one hand, but he was there to make sure the bleeding didn't get outta control or something." She shrugged. "Jamie and Cleo didn't make it. I watched Jamie get gunned down first, he got pumped full of bullets when Woodbury first opened fire on us. Cleo got nabbed by walkers so she shot herself before she could get torn apart. Or turned." Jules sighed. "I was on the roof of a building and I saw it all happen."

"I'm sorry." Daryl said quietly.

Jules shrugged again. "The last time I got spotted, they wanted to do god knows what to me. I don't stand and fight anymore. Not after last time. Not knowing that they'll kill without remorse for no reason." She shuddered and shook her head. "I don't kill people, Daryl. I'm not a monster. Walkers aren't people, not anymore, so that's not so bad. But I'm not like those Woodbury pricks. I. Don't. Kill. People. I've never had to kill anyone, and as much as I would like to get my revenge on Woodbury, I'm no killer, not directly."

And it all made sense, then. The scavenging, the running. Why she was so determined to hoard as much as she could. Why she was so willing to let the group stay on, why she was so willing to share what she'd been hoarding for months with them, and why she was so scared of Woodbury in general.

"I'm sorry." Daryl said again, awkwardly reaching over to place his hand against her knee, a simple gesture of comfort. "That's not fair to you."

Jules snorted. "I guess today proved that I can't be so soft anymore." She shook her head. "I just thought that maybe, y'know, humanity wouldn't go to shit just because civilization did."

Daryl nodded in understanding. He'd had similar conversations with Rick; where do you draw the line when it was kill or be killed?

"We've got your back Jules." Daryl assured her. "You can count on that."


	16. Chapter 16

**-Home, Sweet Home-**

The away team returned to the farm without incident. Pongo bounded down the driveway, chasing the van as Rick drove it to the shed that acted as the garage. Once they were parked, Daryl stalked off to be alone immediately, wanting to make sure that nothing else bad had happened while they were gone. Merle had to agree with his brother, and he apologetically excused himself from Jules' company, taking Pongo with him as he went to check the traps.

Jules and Rick carried the backpacks to the house and settled in the attached dining room where they'd had breakfast that morning.

Carol and Lori were inside the house; Lori wasn't feeling well and Carol was helping, trying to make the expecting mother as comfortable as she could.

Jules shot Lori a sympathetic look. "Do you want some tea or something, doll?" She asked, her Boston accent drawing the nickname out and adding a few extra letters to the syllables.

Lori smiled weakly from the open living room. "No, thank you. I'm all right."

Jules nodded again and turned her attention back to the backpacks on the table.

"Shit," Rick hissed, emptying the first of the bags.

"Don't worry too much about it," Jules replied quietly. "We didn't _need_ the supplies, really. I have damn near everything we could possibly need in the basement."

Rick shook his head as he fiddled with the boxes of Aspirin and gauze he'd dumped on the table. "It's not that."

"I shoulda been more up front with you, I know," Jules said quietly, guilt colouring her words. "I didn't mean any harm, I just didn't think we'd actually run into those bastards."

"I can't blame you for not wanting to share," Rick admitted. "I'm sorry you lost your friends."

"Do you think I'm wrong?"

Rick stopped completely, staring Jules down.

"Wrong about what?" Lori asked, forcing herself up from her spot in the living room and crossing the space to take a seat at the long table. Carol joined them and cast a worried look in Jules' direction.

"Woodbury," Jules said slowly, shooting a look at Rick, afraid to step over lines. "We ran into them in town, which is why we didn't get everything."

Lori nodded and placed a comforting hand on Jules' arm. "We're your friends, sweetie. You don't need to fight this battle alone."

Rick blinked back surprise at the sentiment. Fighting any battles was the last thing that he wanted to do, but somehow, the genuine concern in Lori's voice made him reconsider.

Jules smiled weakly. "I appreciate that."

"So what happened?" Lori pressed.

"We'll tell you when everyone's around," Jules replied. "I don't want to have to repeat the story more than I absolutely have to."

Lori nodded and patted Jules' arm again. "Understandable."

Rick frowned. Lori was taking to the younger woman already, he wasn't entirely sure if he liked the idea, especially since Lori was already offering their services in a battle that wasn't theirs to start with.

"Where is everyone?" Jules asked, changing the subject.

"Carl is upstairs with Beth, Maggie and Hershel in the library," Carol explained. "T-Dog and Glenn were exploring the sheds looking for stuff to make targets out of so that we could practice shooting; there's a few of us who could use the practice," She added sheepishly. "And Lori and I have been in here for the past little while."

Jules smiled, but before she could say anything further, Daryl and Merle burst through the front door. Jules was on her feet and Rick's attention turned to the two men who had just come into the house.

"We might have a problem," Merle announced as Pongo rushed inside, padding up the stairs to patrol the house.

"Woodbury?" Jules asked quietly.

"Not sure yet," Daryl replied. "But there's sure as shit someone comin' up the road."


End file.
